


only those I love will ever really know me

by ackermanx



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-09-08 18:44:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8856664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ackermanx/pseuds/ackermanx
Summary: when he was little, Natsume Takashi had been terrified of turning into his grandmother.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Merit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merit/gifts).



> hello hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^v^
> 
> this was Hard to write (but in a good way) because I've never written anything in this style before, so it might not be as good as it could be /sweats
> 
> I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT REIKO'S BACKSTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if she had kids does that mean that she found someone that loved her even though she was considered to be strange????? is that person still alive???? can takashi go talk to him???? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS but coughs i'll stop ranting
> 
> gestures to the giant block of text below this HERE'S THE FIC, I HOPE YOU ENJOY -w-

When he was little, Natsume Takashi had been terrified of turning into his grandmother.

 

All he'd ever heard were bad things about Reiko. How she was eccentric, how she never seemed to settle down -

 

Most of all, how she seemed to be lonely most of the time.

 

At this point, Takashi could already see yokai, although he wasn't exactly sure what they were yet. He had a faint understanding that his grandmother had seen them too, since so many of the yokai he met seemed to know Reiko's name. 

 

One thing he knew for sure, however, was that he could never tell anyone about his ability; as much as he wanted to make peace with the spirits that insisted on following him, Takashi did not want to distance himself from real-world people. He didn't need to give others another reason to talk about him. Most of all, he didn't want all the whispers about Reiko to turn into whispers about  _Takashi, isn't that Reiko's grandchild? I always knew that no descendant of Reiko's could be normal._

 

And so, at the tender age of ten, young Takashi begins to live a double life.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Takashi stares out the window, pencil resting lazily in his hand, daydreaming as the teacher drones on about something (probably related to math, judging by all the figures on the board). He's unbelievably bored and about to fall asleep when, suddenly, a black mass darts across the window.

 

Blinking rapidly, Takashi sits up a little bit straighter and leans towards the window, squinting intently.

 

Nothing.

 

He relaxes back into his seat, shaking his head. Maybe it was just a trick of the light; not everything could be blamed on yokai, after all. Takashi mentally shakes himself and positions his pencil over his notebook, ready to tune back into the lesson for once, when he feels a small tug on his right pant leg.

 

"Reiko-san!"

 

Startled, Takashi looks around for the source of the sound, then peers underneath his desk.

 

A small black blob has Takashi's pant leg firmly in his grasp, a single unblinking eye boring into Takashi's own.

 

"Reiko-san!" it whispers again, louder this time, followed by a second, more insistent tug on Takashi's pants.

 

"Shh!" Takashi hisses under his breath, then immediately feels stupid because _it's not like anyone else can hear the yokai, anyway, get it together, Takashi_.

 

He raises his hand shakily, hoping that no one will find his behavior strange.

 

"Yes, Natsume?" The teacher pauses, chalk held in midair.

 

"Could I use the restroom?" Natsume struggles to keep his tone even.

 

"...Of course, just remember to come back eventually." The teacher raises an eyebrow.

 

The class titters.

 

Takashi has never gotten out of a classroom faster.

 

When he's safely outside the building, Takashi allows himself to relax. He glances up at the yokai, who had decided that floating in the air was easier than trying to walk, and was now hovering somewhere around Takashi's head. "I'm not sure how to break this to you, but... you _do_ know that I'm not Reiko, right? She's my grandmother; she died years ago."

 

Takashi almost feels bad for the little yokai when its tiny face falls, it lets out a small whimper, and slowly starts to float down to the ground. He doesn't know what he's supposed to do, so he kneels down and pats the blob on its head.

 

"Did you know Reiko personally?" Takashi asks as gently as he can.

 

"N-No, not really, but...she helped me out once, did you know? I was about to be cast out of my village because I had loved a human, and she...came to save me like it was nothing. I will forever be indebted to Reiko-san!"

 

The yokai suddenly turns around, big, white, watery eye meeting both of Takashi's.

 

"You said that Reiko is - was - your grandmother? You're her grandson?"

 

Takashi blinks. "Er...yes, that's what the term 'grandmother' implies. Did you want me to pass on a message, or...?"

 

"I... I do have something with me. Wait!"

 

The yokai fumbles around a bit, then shakily holds out a piece of paper covered with wobbly Japanese characters.

 

"H-Here, have this. I was originally going to give it to Reiko-san, but…"

 

Takashi accepts the slip of paper and looks up, ready to thank the spirit, but it had already disappeared.

 

He looks down at the paper, reads it through once, then smiles softly, folding it up and tucking into a pocket for safekeeping.

 

( _Thank you_ , it says, in unsure handwriting. _Thank you for all that you've done for me._ )

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

When he was little, Natsume Takashi had been terrified of turning into his grandmother.

 

He had thought that she was some sort of hermit - never really interacting with other people in the town; always seemingly alone; regarded as selfish, eccentric, incapable of normal social interactions -

 

But now Takashi knows better than to believe the words of a few people, especially the words of people who didn't even know his grandmother that well. Takashi knows how kind (though somewhat careless) Reiko was to all yokai, and he's glad he inherited her good temperament, at least. (And he supposes it's thanks to her that he has so many yokai friends now, so that's one more thing to be grateful for.)

 

Now Takashi has human friends - friends who don't know about his ability to see yokai, and friends who do. (Either way, they like him for who he is, something he is endlessly grateful for.) He's living in a better place, with guardians who truly care about him. And even though he's constantly getting into trouble because of the Book of Friends, Takashi doesn't mind - after all, he has a guardian who refuses to let any harm befall him (if only for personal gain).

 

Now, Takashi doesn't know what he was so worried about.

 

Now, as Takashi walks home in the fading sunlight, sandwiched between an overly talkative Taki and a quietly contemplative Tanuma, he's proud to be like Reiko.


End file.
